


Those We Leave Behind.

by Larxicana



Series: Linked Universe [12]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Genre: Classic Legend Langauge, Domestic, Homosexuality, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Legend is a smithy, Light Angst, M/M, Struggles of being a warrior, Teasing, The boys have to find each other first, unintentional bullying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-01-16 19:21:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21276383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Larxicana/pseuds/Larxicana
Summary: Armed with an enchanted map, the heroes have to find each other before they can begin their quest to save all of Hyrule from the darkness. As they meet the ninth member of their team, they're reminded that they aren't the only ones that have to make sacrifices to save the world.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based off the Linked Universe idea Jojo on Tumblr came up with! Just with a bit of my own twist.

“This should be the place…” Twilight said to the others as he studied their map, eyeing a glowing gold dot next to the tiny collection of buildings just outside Hyrule Castle. The map was the enchanted sort that Time had found in an old temple when he had first been summoned by the goddess to collect all the heroes over the centuries. She warned him of a great evil that not one hero could handle and tasked him with finding the others. With this map, he was able to travel between worlds and time to find each one of them. 

Twilight looked back at his counterparts. “This should be the last hero. Says it should be The Hero of Legend.”

“Oh, how exciting!” Sky spoke with a bright smile. “It’s been so interesting to see how and where everyone ended up, how their lives turned out after their missions.” He looked to Wild, who stood beside him. “I quite enjoyed your world, even though it was a little sad. The land was beautiful and your house was so nice.” Wild smiled back and thanked him.

Time stepped up beside Twilight and took hold of one edge of the map. He watched the image shimmer and shift, zooming in to show the cluster of houses closer. It didn’t give them an exact location, but it was a good start. He looked back to the others, “Alright, let’s get moving. We’ll break off into groups. Wind, Sky — you three find us a place to stay for a while. Warrior, Wild - you two go restock on supplies. The rest of us will start searching for this hero. Shouldn’t be too hard. The town doesn’t seem to have many structures.”

Four stepped up beside him and crossed his arms, “Not many structures, but spread out. Lot of farmland around here.”

Warrior shrugged, “At least you can see pretty far without obstructions.”

With their tasks in hand, the group made their way down the hill they had paused on and into town, breaking off to complete them. Twilight ended up going out to the farms to talk to them, confident he’d be able to win them over easier than the others. The remaining boys wandered through the town looking for any signs of where this last hero might be. They stopped to talk to townspeople on the streets and in the shops. Of course they all knew of the “Link” they were looking for, but a few seemed to be a little unsure if he was in town or not. 

“He tends to wander,” one man in a shop told them.

“Is he still fighting some sort of battle?” Time asked.

The man made a face and shook his head, “Not that I know of. We’ve been at peace here for a couple of years now. We just see him leave town one morning and come back a couple of days later. Sometimes he’ll have another fellow with him. I think it’s his brother.” They asked if he knew where the hero lived, but the man shook his head. “I know he lives in town, but I don’t know which house. Small town, but spread kinda far.” The group thanked him for his time and turned to leave.

“Least we sort of know what we’re looking for now,” Hyrule said, putting his hands on his hips.

Four frowned, “Yeah but what if he isn’t in town? The guy said he’s never gone for very long, but I’d hate to hang around for a week and turns out he’s somewhere else.”

The eldest shook his head and crossed his arms, “No, he’s here. If he was somewhere else traveling, the map would have showed us so. Not all of you were found in your homes, remember.”

Four grinned at the brunette, “We found you lost in a cave.”

Hyrule bristled and crossed his arms, “I wasn’t lost! I was exploring!”

“You specifically said you were lost.”

“You were hallucinating.”

“Hey,” the group looked up to see Twilight walking towards them, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb. “Farmers said he lives towards the center of town on top of a hill. Says there’s a garden out front and a big ol’ sign on the building. Guess it’s shop but he lives above it.”

Four nodded to the shop they just came out of, “Guy here says he travels a lot and doesn’t know if he’s in town or not.”

This made the ranch hand frown. “Well that would suck.” 

The shorter boy nodded his agreement.

“Let’s go check out this house.” Time spoke up, “If he isn’t home, I imagine there’ll be a sign on the door, if he’s running a shop. Twilight, you lead.” The boy nodded and turned to lead them deeper into town. 

As they got closer, they could see the castle raising high above not far in the distance. They could make out workers strapped into harnesses working on the outside stone walls, probably lingering repairs from whatever tragedy hit this world. Eventually they reached a path that would take them up hill, but Hyrule paused, “Is that it?” He asked, pointing up to a house with a large sign on the front. It looked like the sign had been one thing, but had been repainted. They couldn’t tell what it had been before, but now it showed a sword and magical rod crossed with the words “The Spellbound Sword” written over top.

“It’s a weapon’s shop!” Four exclaimed, looking a little more interested. “Do you think he’s a smithy?”

Hyrule grinned at him. “Only one way to find out.” 

The group made their way up the path and to the shop. It looked like at one point it had been a small, single store house. There was brick around the bottom half but wood paneling painted white on the second story. There also looked to be an addition in the back as well as a good sized shed with various boxes and tools laying leaning against it. Out front was a small garden growing different kinds of vegetables and a tall tree with a swing hanging from one of the branches. Underneath the windows on the first floor were baskets of flowers in full bloom, perky and happy in the sun. 

“It’s beautiful.” Hyrule spoke with a smile as he took a moment to admire everything. The others murmured their agreement.

Against the front door hung an open sign, ruling out the option of the hero not being home right now, which sent some relief through them. Time pushed open the door and glanced inside, then stepped in fully when he saw shelves and displays of weapons and magical items. Behind the counter towards the back stood someone in purple and gold robe with what looked like a rabbit face on the hood, complete with long ears that hung down against his back. At the sound of the bell hanging above the door, he turned around, revealing he had bright green eyes, black hair, and pale skin. 

He brightened considerably when he saw them, “Ah! Welcome! Please come in!” He set his quill down against what looked like a ledger he was pooling over and came around the counter, holding his hands together in front of him. “My! You folks sure look like you’re ready to take on an army! Well, almost ready. You could definitely benefit from one of our many weapons.” Four and Twilight wandered over to inspect the collection of swords while Hyrule eyed some magic rods. The prices were on the high side, but not out of this world. The boy motioned to the swords and daggers two of the boys were looking at, “All of those were forged by the great Hero of Legend himself! If there’s one man who knows a good weapon, he’d be him!”

At the mention of the hero, the boys glanced over at the salesman. Four then looked up at Twilight with a grin, elbowing his arm, “He is a smithy!” He said excitedly, then turned back to study the blades closer with an experienced eye.

Time looked to the salesman, “You mentioned a hero…”

The raven-haired boy nodded, “Yes sir! The one and only!” Hyrule snickered into his hand from where he stood in the corner, earning the keep’s curious attention, but it was turned back to Time when he spoke again.

“Does he live here?”

“Yes sir, he’s just out back, actually.”

“Do you think we could speak with him?”

With what seemed like practiced ease, the man gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m afraid he’s very busy right now. As I said, he smiths all the blades in here. The forge won’t keep itself hot!”

Time smiled back, also with practiced ease, giving him a kind look, “Please, I promise we won’t take much of his time. Just a matter of business.”

The salesman worked his mouth a little as he eyed the taller man. It was clear the word “business” had got his attention. “Well… I suppose he could spare a few minutes…”

“Thank you, I’d really appreciate it.” Time watched him turn and scurry out the back door, then turned to Four, who was holding a dagger up to the light. “How’s it look?”

Four smiled up at him, lowering the blade. “It’s really nice. It’s like a backwoods style of forging, but with the thoughtfulness of a warrior. Only a man used to wielding a blade could make something like this.” He put it back on the display, “I’d be interested in exchanging notes.”

Hyrule wandered over. “It’s kind of expensive,” he said as he admired a few of the blades. “Too rich for my blood.”

Twilight shrugged and shifted to lean back against a bare section of wall, crossing his arms, “I suppose you get what you pay for.”

“That’s true.”

Just then, bickering could be heard from the back of the house, then the door opened. “Don’t be such a stick in the mud!” The salesman from before said as he stepped inside, turning back to the door to speak to his companion. “You’ll ruin this for us!” A grunt was his only reply.

Stepping in behind him was a blonde-haired man dressed in a plain shirt and slacks that were covered in the aftermath of making weapons. He wore an apron over that and had goggles pushed up his forehead to sit snug against his hairline, holding his bangs to his head. He had cool blue eyes and tan skin, some of which had smudges against it. He was scowling at the raven-haired man, but when he looked up at the others, his eyes widened slightly. Then he groaned and ran a hand down his face. “Oh fuck me…”

The other heroes in the room looked over at him with wide, startled eyes. That… had not been what they expected. The salesman gasped and turned to smack the other on the shoulder with surprising force, causing the blonde to glare at him and hold the offended area. “Link! Language! We have customers!”

“They’re not customers, Ravio! They’re fucking heroes!” Link crossed his arms and turned his glare back to the others. “They’re other versions of me from other worlds and timelines.”

The group was stunned. None of them had been so quick to jump to that conclusion, and simply by looking at them. 

“You know who we are?” Time asked.

Link waved a hand, “Yeah, got a bit of experience with parallel worlds and different realms.”

The salesman, Ravio, gasped at this and put his hands to his mouth, “What?! Oh my goddess, no way! That’s unheard of!” Link put on hand on the counter and the other on his hip as he turned and gave the other boy a pointed, unimpressed look. Ravio glanced to him, slowly realizing what he said, then turned a little pink as he gave a nervous laugh, “Oh heh, right. Maybe not _completely_ unheard of…”

The blonde beside him sighed and rolled his eyes then looked back to the others with a scowl. “And what sort of… _life threatening, world ending catastrophe _has brought you to my doorstep today?” Time opened his mouth to answer, but Link held up his hand with a bitter smile, “Ah, wait! Don’t care.” He turned and started for the back door again, but was grabbed by Ravio, who wrapped his hands around his arm.

“Wait, are you serious?!” He asked with big eyes, echoing the thoughts of some of the other people in the shop. “You’re just going to leave and not even hear them out?”

Link frowned at him. “Yeah, that was the plan. Got shit to do.” He halfheartedly wiggled the arm in the other’s hold. “Lemme go.”

“No! Link, if something bad is gonna happen, then you’ve gotta do something!”

The blonde turned to face him with a glare. “Why’s it gotta be me? You know how to fight! You’re technically a hero! You do it!”

Ravio gripped his arm tighter as a terrified look came to his eyes, “No way, are you crazy?! I choose life, thank you.”

“And I can’t?” The other countered. Ravio opened his mouth, but frowned. “I’ve saved this goddess forsaken world like five times or something, last time being only _two years ago, _and I’m just expected to go right back into it without question? How come everyone else can say no but me?”

Time frowned, “It’s the curse of being chosen by the goddess, I’m afraid.”

Link turned his glare to him as he pointed to him, “I don’t want to hear it. I’ve heard it a million times before. I don’t need another speech about honor and destiny, thanks.”

Twilight narrowed his eyes and stepped forward, “You think yer the only one that’s gonna leave some’in behind? There are definitely places we’d rather be than here right now, but we don’t got much choice. We’re the only ones that can defeat these things and seal it away.”

“Besides,” Hyrule added with a smile to try and ease the growing tension, “the sooner we defeat it, the sooner we get to go home.”

Link shook his head, “Still not interested. Now, either buy something or get out.” He turned and walked out the back door again.

Four frowned and crossed his arms, glancing to the others, “Well that went well.”

Time glanced to him, “None of you were exactly thrilled to be dragged out again either.”

“I’m sorry,” Ravio turned to face them, holding his hands to his chest, looking a mixture of emotions, ranging from discomfort, to the inkling of fear and dread. “I hope you don’t take Link’s brashness to heart. He’s always like that.” He hesitated, glancing away from then, then up at the eldest. “Is it super serious? There’re four of you, surely that’s enough, right?”

Time frowned as he looked at him, his expression softening in the face of someone about to lose a person close to them with no guarantee they would be getting them back. “I’m afraid not. The goddess has demanded all of her heroes across the ages to defeat this foe.”

The merchant looked a little paler at this, “That sounds pretty serious…” 

Hyrule came up beside Time, “Hey, there’s no need to worry! There’s actually eight of us in total, not including your friend. We’ve got countless years of experience with these sorts of things. Everything will be fine. We’ll totally save the world.”

Ravio let out a little laugh, “I know it’s selfish, but I’m not worried about the rest of the world right now.”

Time gave him a little smile and put a hand on his shoulder, chuckling in his throat, “It’d be strange if you were. My friend is right though, we’re all veterans at this, and it sounds like yours is too. I feel pretty good about our odds of success with all nine of us.” The salesman smiled up a him a little and lifted a hand to brush his hair behind his ear. Time caught sight of gold around his finger at the motion. He stepped back, “We’ll give him some space for now and be back tomorrow. I’m afraid a simple no isn’t an answer we can accept. We’ll be staying at an inn just down the road, if you have need of us.”

Ravio nodded, then held up a hand, “Ah, I didn’t get your names.”

Time held out his own for the other to shake, “Well to make it easier on everyone, we’ve all taken on nicknames. I’m Time, and this is Twilight, Four, and Hyrule.”

The raven-haired boy shook his head, giving him a little smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes, “It’s nice to meet you all, though I wish on better circumstances. I’m Ravio. If you need anything, this is the place to get it!” His heart wasn’t in his sales pitch like it was when they first walked in.

“Agreed. You folks do fine work here.”

The group bid their goodbyes to the merchant and left the shop to head back to the inn they saw when they entered. It was quiet until Hyrule sighed, “I don’t like this.” He looked to the others, “Did you see the look on that merchant’s face? Like he was about to be executed.”

“It’s never easy.” Time spoke, “Soldiers go off and people are so focused on their bravery and safety that they don’t think about who they’re leaving behind. Loved ones sit at home, forced to go through their daily lives without the people who have become a comfortable constant, not knowing if they’ll come home the same or even at all. It was really hard for Malon the first few times.”

“Your wife?” Four asked as he looked up at him.

Time nodded, “Yes. It’s gotten easier for her, I think, but there’s always that lingering worry. I don’t think something like that ever goes away.”

They soon met up with the others and gave updates on how their given tasks had gone. Wind and Sky managed to grab them two rooms. The keeper was kind enough to let them rent them as long as they needed then pay when they left. Wild and Warrior had stocked up on much needed supplies. Twilight perked up when Wild excitedly told of the pumpkin he managed to snag at the market, a promise of a good supper. Time explained that they had found the hero, he was indeed still in town, but they were much less successful than their counterparts. He told how The Hero of Legend knew instantly who they were and denied their request before they could even ask.

Warrior frowned, “It doesn’t matter if he wants to or not. If the goddess demands it, then he _has_ to go, just like the rest of us.”

“Hylia knows none of us actually _wanted_ to leave…” Wild spoke quietly as he glanced to the side. Twilight put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a little smile to try and comfort him.

“I know,” Time spoke, “and we’ll try again tomorrow. He’ll come around, just might take a little longer than the rest of you did.” He narrowed his eye at them, “And _don’t _try to bully him into this. His reluctance is understandable, you were all the same way, and being an asshole isn’t going to make it any better.” He pointed behind him down the road, where the shop was located. “He seems to own a shop with a man named Ravio, making weapons.”

“He’s a smithy.” Four told them, still a little excited about this detail.

“Ooo.” Warrior commented.

“Listen,” Time frowned, “I want you all to be sensitive to the fact that he’s going to leave someone behind. Yes, it’s our duty to serve at the Goddess’s call and no he really can’t refuse, but keep this in mind. You all left friends and family behind and who knows when you’re going to see them again, _if_ you’re going to see them again. I want to stay positive and optimistic that I’m going to return to my wife one day, but the cold, honest truth of it is that there’s no guarantee. Please keep this in mind if you go to talk to him or the merchant.” The group was quiet at this sobering reminder. It was easy to get caught up in being in a group of people who had become friends, easy to laugh around a campfire and tease each other, but what the eldest said was the cold reality. They were doing dangerous work here. They could be killed out here.

“Four,” The eldest turned to the smallest, “I think you should go tomorrow. You two have a similar interest. He might be more willing to talk to you.” The boy nodded. Time looked back to the others, “Until we can convince him to come with us, we’ll be staying. Enjoy the down time but stay sharp.”

**

The next day Four went to the shop as instructed. He was a little nervous, knowing this hero wouldn’t be happy to see him or know they were still trying to whisk him away. Upon entering the shop, Ravio greeted him, but he could see the dread return to his eyes. He knew he was there to try and convince Link to leave again. Four decided that the nerves he had felt before were nothing compared to the guilt that sat in his stomach.

“I don’t suppose you’re here for a sword? Or maybe an amulet that allows you to shrink down to the size of a rupee?” Ravio asked, pulling on a smile as he set down a charm he had been polishing.

“Ah well um… don’t need help with that last bit, actually.” Four told him with a smile and a shrug.

“Oh.”

“I uh… I was hoping to speak to um… _Link.”_ The shorter boy felt awkward saying his own name.

The merchant nodded, not at all surprised, then motioned to the back door with his head, “He’s outside, in the shed.”

“Thanks.” Four walked through the shop and made a point to keep his eyes on the door. He couldn’t take the sad look in the green ones that followed him.

Outside he did indeed find the last hero out in the shed, where he had set up a modest forge with all the necessities. He found the blond hammering away at something. He waited until he paused to announce himself. He didn’t want to startle him and cause him to hit his hand or something. That had happened to him a few times and it was not fun. Link wasn’t very happy to see him, as he had expected. Four quickly brought up the topic of his forge, taking a casual look around without touching anything. He learned the other had worked a blacksmith in town for a few years until he got dragged away on another adventure. Four wanted to ask about them, but kept to the topic. He asked educated questions, earning want seemed like a surprised raise of the brow, it was sort of hard to tell. This Link definitely had a resting face that seemed like he was annoyed all the time. They discussed forging backgrounds, equipment, and even compared blades.

“Ever make an enchanted blade?” Link asked with a smirk and a fearless look to his eyes.

Four made a face. “No, I’ll pass, thanks. I’m not too fond of magical blades. Too many surprises.”

The taller blonde nodded his chin to the sword on his back, “But that one’s enchanted. So is the Master Sword.”

Four waved a hand, “This one is different. I’ve used this one over the course of pretty much everything. It’s taught _me_ a thing or two. And I’ve never wielded the Master Sword.”

“Really? I thought it was pretty standard. Got a hero, get the sword, defeat Ganon, save the princess, blah blah blah.”

“I guess, but there are other bad guys besides Ganon.”

Link paused then nodded, “Yeah ok, totally fair.”

“Link!” The pair of blondes look up at the mention of their names. From the back door, Ravio hesitated, realizing his mistake. “Err um… the one from this world?”

Link waved a hand impatiently, “Yes I know which one you’re referring to. What is it?”

“Lunch is ready!”

“I don’t want any.”

Ravio frowned and huffed dramatically, stomping his foot, “You need to eat something!”

“I said I wasn’t hungry!”

“But I already made it!”

“Whose fault is that?”

“You better get in here and eat something!”

“You’re not the boss of me!”

Ravio crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at him. Link glared right back, fearlessly. Four glanced between them nervously. Eventually, the shop keep… smiled and put his hands behind his back. Oddly enough, this made Link bristle like he was about to get hit with something. Ravio lifted a hand to his ear, “Oh? What is that I hear? Could it be the sound of prices going up?”

Link slammed his hammer down on the table hard enough to make Four jump. “You can’t do that! I own fifty-percent of the damn shop! You can’t raise prices on me! I make half the damn weapons that go in there!”

“Oh but you see, I can! I can raise the prices of the weapons you make to the point where no one will want to buy them anymore.”

“But that would cut into your own pocket too!”

“Would it?” Ravio grinned. Four could see his green eyes sparkling from across the yard. Link narrowed his eyes at him for a long moment, seeming to study him, then let out a frustrated sigh and tossed his hammer down on the table. He grumbled and reached behind him to untie his apron. Ravio seemed quite pleased and turned his attention to Four, “Four, was it? Will you be staying for lunch?”

The shorter one held up his hands, “Oh no, I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“Nonsense! I made enough, just in case.”

Not wanting to refuse a second time and seem rude, Four nodded and followed the other hero to the house. “Asshole…” Link grumbled under his breath at Ravio, who just beamed at him.

“Wash your hands!” The merchant called after him as he climbed the stairs.

“Fuck you!”

_“Wash your hands!”_

“Ugh!”

Four smiled at the raven-haired boy, “Thank you for having me.”

Ravio grinned, “Well aren’t you polite? I wish my Link had your manners.”

“I can still hear you!” Came a voice from upstairs.

Ravio glared in that direction, “You wouldn’t if you were actually washing your hands like I told you to! I don’t want ash in my food!”

“It’ll taste the same…” Came a faint grumble. The merchant gasped in offence and quickly marched up the stairs. A panicked _“Oh shit!”_ could be heard over the loud sound of boots on wood. Four grinned as he made his way up the stairs at a slower pace, quickly growing to like this odd merchant with the bunny hood.

**

“So…” Legend, as Four had begun to call him when he couldn’t handle saying his own name anymore, started as he worked a toothpick between his teeth. Ravio gathered up the dirty dishes and replaced them with glasses of lemonade. “You have yet to try and convince me to go on your little quest of righteousness, as I suspect you were sent here to do.”

Four bit his lip, looking a little sheepish as he wrapped his hands around his cup, “Uh… yeah. ‘M not really good at these sort of things. Diplomatic stuff is easier. This…” he glanced to the merchant, who was washing the dishes in the sink, but obviously trying to keep the clanking to a minimum so he could eavesdrop. He looked back to the other hero, “This is a little more difficult.”

Legend studied him for a long moment then flicked his toothpick into a trash bin by the counter. “Well aren’t you going to tell me it’s for the good of the world? That the goddess demands my servitude? That I have no choice but to go with you?”

“I wasn’t going to, no. Something tells me that wouldn’t work on you.”

“You’re right, it wouldn’t, because I could really care less about all that.” Legend drummed his fingers against the table as he tossed one arm over the back of his chair. “Obviously I don’t want the world to burn. Worked too fucking hard saving it to watch it burn now. Plus we just finished renovating this second floor and I’m gonna be royally pissed if some pig who thinks he’s a god comes in and destroys it. Put a lotta damn money into this.”

Four nodded and glanced around, “It’s quite lovely. Very homey.”

“Thanks. Used to be just one, but I couldn’t stand having a shop in my living room.” He tossed a halfhearted glare to the merchant at the counter. When he didn’t react to the jab, he frowned. “Hey.” Startled, Ravio turned around to look at him. “I’m making fun of you. It’s no fun if you’re not listening.”

“Oh,” Ravio paused, then glared at him halfheartedly, “Well stop it.”

“Ooo good come back.”

“Shut up!”

“That’s better.” Legend tossed his head towards the stairs, “Why don’t you watch the shop? Unless you want someone to walk in and start stealin’ shit.”

This knocked Ravio from his gloom. He gasped as his eyes widen, “They better not! _No one_ steals from me!”

“Don’t I know it…” Legend murmured into his glass as the merchant hurried out of the room and back down the stairs. When he was confident he was out of earshot, he shifted to sit forward, putting his forearms on the table. “Alright,” he sighed, “give me the details.”

**

It was late afternoon by the time Four returned to the inn. He found most of the group gathered around a fire pit in the back chatting, Wild and Wind were out in a field behind the building playing frisbee. Twilight sat to the side in his wolf form watching with keen eyes, then jumped in and stole the frisbee from the air before darting off. The two boys squawked outraged protests and took chase. Four smiled at this then sat down on one of the logs laying on its side by the fire.

“Welcome back.” Time spoke, “How did it go?”

Four looked up at him, “He agreed to come along.” He told them, earning a knock to the shoulder from Warrior and praise from Sky. The boy quickly held up a finger, _“But_ he needs a few days to get things settled before he’ll leave.”

“That’s fine.” Time told him with a nod.

Warrior frowned, “Wait, is it? Should we really just be hanging around?”

“A few more days isn’t going to throw the mission,” said the eldest. “We hardly have a plan as to where we go next. It’ll give us time to get things straight and for him to do what he needs to. Besides,” he leaned down to grab a mug sitting by his feet to bring up to his lips, “he needs time to say his goodbyes. Let him have this.”

Warrior huffed and propped an elbow on his knee to hold up his chin, “When did you get so sentimental?”

Time shrugged and set his cup back down after taking a sip, “Marriage will do that to a man.”

**

After two days, the group had paid for their rooms and gathered outside, doing a general check of supplies and belonging. They didn’t know when they would reach the next town after this. Down the road came Legend dressed in his adventuring gear and armed like the rest of them. He also wore quite the collection of accessories made from precious metals and gems. He didn’t look happy and it was hard to read him. He wore an impressive mask that hid anything he might not want to share.

When he got closer, the other heroes who hadn’t met him yet introduced themselves and shook hands. “Can’t say it’s a pleasure.” Legend told them, crossing his arms.

“Understandable.” Wild replied with a shrug.

“So… what’s the plan?”

Time leaned forward to reach back and pull their map from his bag. He unrolled it to study, finding the glowing dot from before was gone. “With each new hero we gained, a new portion of the map was revealed.” He explained. “It’s how we found the others in the beginning and how we found you. Now we have everyone.” Time looked to Legend and held the map out for him to take. “If the trend continues, as the newest hero to the group, you should be able to unlock our next location. I don’t know what we’ll find or where it will lead us, but it’s a good start.”

Legend eyed the map in suspicion, but eventually took it. He held it with both hands and watched in amazement as the picture shifted, like water had splashed on it when the ink was still fresh. The darkness swirled and twisted, until it formed a new map with a different, glowing marker. “Huh.” He brought the map closer to his face to narrow his eyes at, then turned it to show the others. “Looks like we gotta head east.”

“Fascinating…” Sky breathed with wide, awed eyes.

“Alright,” Time nodded, “We’ll start there. Let’s get moving while the day is still young. Since you unlocked it, you lead.” He motioned to Legend with a hand.

The boy looked up at him, then to the map, then turned around to look down the road he came from. His eyes ran over the landscape and to the horizon, where he could just make out his house on the top of a hill. He stood there for a moment, as though to commit the scene to memory. Finally, he turned back around and started down the path out of town without another look back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo what if Legend was the only one in the group interested in other guys? How would that play out with the others? Would they be bigots? Understanding? How would that make Legend feel?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was an idea I came up with a while ago and it was really interesting to explore a few different topics in this.
> 
> Don't worry, there isn't any character bashing, other than from Legend himself.

They’ve been traveling for a long time now. If it weren’t for the dates on the letters Legend would receive once every few weeks, he would have lost track a while ago. Since he had been picked up from his village, the group had been all over the world and its variations. They had fought beasts and monsters with a ferocity he hadn’t seen before, like they were possessed by demons that had crawled their way from the deepest pits of hell. It took all nine of them to take down one moblin in the forest once and left them bloodied and bruised. However, the frustrating part was that they didn’t seem any closer to understanding what sort of threat they were fighting against. Their map took them places they needed to go, but that didn’t mean it was easy to get there and half the time they didn’t understand why they were there in the first place. Then with the time and realm jumps that kept happening… Legend was really wishing he could have stayed in bed the morning he left.

At least the group he was traveling with were tolerable. He had learned their quirks and strengths over time, then had them teach him a few of them. In return he taught them a few things he had learned from his many adventures. He supposed if nothing else, he was improving from this trip. Every day it seemed like he learned something different, which just helped him in the long run. The more knowledge he had, the better he could handle any situation thrown at him.

While he was used to the constant traveling, it was still hard at times. When they settled around a fire on bedrolls, he found himself missing the house. He missed being warm and dry, being safe within sturdy walls, and even Ravio’s constant chatter about nothing in particular. These feelings hit especially hard when the mailman, bless him for finding them wherever they went, delivered letters from home. These were good times as well as sad. It plagued them with homesick feelings, of a yearning they couldn’t satisfy, but it also brought smiles and laughter. Sometimes they would share the happenings of home. Once Time told them of the new foal one of their horses gave birth to, healthy and strong, just like its mother. Another time Twilight shared news that a little boy he knew from back home had just been appointed the head of a minuteman militia in his hometown.

However, it was also on these nights that Legend started to realize something about the others, finding yet another difference between himself and his counterparts. He was the only one with a different relationship preference. These nights around the fire, with letters from home in hand, he listened to them talk excitedly about the ladies that were waiting for them at home. Even if they didn’t have a partner, he caught the glances, snickers, and teases when they had gone into town to resupply or relax in the comfort of an inn. Legend had never been self-conscious of his choices and wouldn’t hesitate to knock someone’s teeth out should they have something to say about it, but… this could be different.

They were all stuck together for who knew how long. It could be a year, two, or even five before they found the source of the evil infecting the land and put an end to it. It wasn’t like they could just leave and go back home. They were in this  _ together _ for the long haul, and the last thing Legend wanted was a tension to form over the group. He’d like to think the people he was traveling with were truly good people. Not just because they put their lives on the line without a moment of hesitation, but deeper than that.

A man could be brave, but he could still be a bigot.

So, to avoid this situation, he never said anything. When letters from home came, he kept them to himself. When discussion of conquests and interests came up, he threw in a snarky comment or a jab to keep the questions off of him. Sometimes it was hard, not having anyone to talk to, but he was used to being on his own. He had been for a very long time, only changing recently. He was capable of keeping his personal life out of the way.

Of course that made writing letters home a little more difficult. A few times he had tried to write their past happenings down on paper and ask about home, but there was always some sort of poke to share or questions about who he was writing to. Warrior was usually always the one to start it, dragging one or two into teasing him as well.

“Come on, Legend!” Warrior would say with that easy grin of his, “Tell us who this mystery girl is!”

Legend would glare at him and push his notepad into his lap upside down. “Mind your own damn business!”

“Is it Zelda?”

“No, get off my back!”

Which would lead to bickering until someone backed off. It was usually Warrior, but it was always with a tease. Legend admired him for his skill and achievements, but sometimes he could be a real asshole.

Today he had snuck away from the group when they stopped at a riverbank to rest and replenish their canteens. He found a large rock not too far from the group, but enough distance to make him feel sure that no one would be looking over his shoulder.

“Husband?”

Legend nearly jumped out of his knickers at the voice, flailing as he fell off the rock with none of the grace he possessed and a sound he would never admit to. Just behind where he had been sitting stood Time, a little startled by his reaction, but very amused. The younger hero scrambled to his feet and pressed his notepad to his stomach. He tried to come up with an excuse or some sort of convincing denial, something to make Time go away, but he saw right through it all. He always did. He was good at that. Sighing, he stopped and pressed his lips together, then eventually asked, “How did you know?”

The older hero held up his left hand and wiggled his fingers, showing off his own wedding band, “I can spot a wedding ring from a set of an enchanted ones pretty easily.” Legend quickly hid his left hand behind his back, causing the other to hold up both of his. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I’m actually glad that one of my other counterparts gets to experience the joys it brings.” His eye softened as he smiled. “It’s nice to have someone who loves you not for being a hero, but for who you are as a person. Grounds you a little bit.” He paused as he lost himself to his thought for a moment, then looked back to the other. “It was the boy living with you in the shop, wasn’t it? I saw the band around his finger, but didn’t see one on yours.”

“I don’t wear it when I’m working.” Legend told him, “Having metal around your finger while near a forge isn’t a great idea.”

“Ah, makes sense. Nevertheless, I’m very happy for both of you.”

Legend frowned, his brows pinching together as he glanced away, “It doesn’t… upset you?”

It was Time’s turn to frown, looking confused, “Why would it upset me?”

“Because…” The younger hero met his eyes, stealing himself to hold his gaze. He would not be ashamed of this. “Because I have a husband instead of a wife.”

The eldest seemed surprised at first, but softened into a smile. “No, it doesn’t, and it hardly matters what I think anyways, so long as you’re happy. Besides,” He shrugged and turned towards the others, tossing Legend a smirk, “We were all young and free at one point or another.” Legend’s eyes widened as he felt surprise and relief run through his system. “I won’t tell the others. If you decide you want them to know, that’s your business.”

As Legend watched him walk away, he had no doubt that he would keep his word and not to tell the others. Time wasn’t one to participate in gossip. If he had to be found out by someone, he was glad it had been him. However, he did bring up a good point. Glancing down at his left hand, he wondered if anyone else was curious or suspicious. He wore a lot of rings and the simple band blended right in, but the finger it hugged was a dead give away. Sitting back down on the rock with his back to the group, he pulled it off his finger and grabbed a gold chain holding an amulet around his neck. He undid the clasp and slipped the ring over it, then returned it to his neck, tucking it under his shirt. Time was definitely the most mature out of them all, but he wasn’t sure how the others would react, should they put the pieces together. Better safe than sorry.

He did find himself enjoying having someone who knew, though. Sometimes the eldest hero would make a comment or grumble under his breath about how his wife would react to something he just did or he’d get a letter about curtains with little sample swatches of fabric. 

“I don’t care about these things,” he’d say, waving them as they walked down a dirt road towards who knew what, frowning at the letter. “What does it matter what the living room curtains look like? But goddess forbid I ever say that to her.” He looked down at Legend, “It’s a trap. No matter which one of these I pick, it’s going to be wrong and she’s going to go with something completely different that she didn’t even send me.”

Legend couldn’t help but grin. “We had the same conversation a few weeks ago.”

“And how did that go?”

“He said ‘thanks, I’m gonna keep looking.’”

“See, exactly my point. I don’t know why she asks me these things when she’s already made up her mind.” Time sighed and folded everything back together to shove into the envelope, “I love her to pieces, but she-”

“Drives you crazy?”

“Yes!”

The next person to figure it out didn’t surprise him. 

They had stopped for the night and Legend was on his shift for guard duty, perched up on a rock overlooking the camp. He had his legs criss-crossed and an elbow on one knee so he could prop his chin up in his hand. He was paying attention, but sitting there for a few hours until his rotation was over was really boring. When Legend glanced up from picking at a small scab on his knee, he saw Four approaching him from the camp. Making a confused face, he glanced up at the moon, then back at him, “Is it that time already?” He asked.

Four shook his head, “No, I just… I wanted to ask you something while the others were sleeping.” Legend looked suspicious now, causing the shorter hero to frown and put his hands on his hips, “Stop it. You act like everyone is out to get you.”

“Oh, _ sorry _ . After six or seven world saving adventures where monsters, ghosts, and fucking sorcerers are trying to kill me at every turn, being paranoid is  _ totally _ weird.”

Four rolled his eyes and sat down beside him on the rock. “Yeah, well I’m not any one of those things, so chill.” He glanced over at him, hesitating a moment as he gathered his thoughts again. “You’re married to that merchant we met when we came to get you, right?”

Legend yawned, lifting his free hand to cover his mouth, “Yup.” He stretched up to crack his back, “What gave it away?”

“Well pretty much everything you two did.” The other said with a shrug, “Mostly the bickering. I also saw his ring then yours later on and put the pieces together.”

Legend glanced out over the camp and the surrounding area as he put his chin back in his hand, then looked back at him, “You got a problem with it?”

Four’s eyes widened and he quickly shook his head, “No! No, of course not. Awfully stupid thing to get upset over.” He frowned as he stared firmly into the ground. “It shouldn’t-  _ doesn’t _ matter what gender the person is. If you have some sort of connection with them, then people should be happy for you, not hateful. There’s nothing wrong with it. Like I don’t get it. How can anyone hate something as pure as love? Just because it ventures from the norms? That’s ridiculous.”

Legend rose an eyebrow at him as a little smirk came to his lips, “You don’t need to convince me.”

“I’m not trying to convince you.”

“Then are you trying to convince yourself?”

Four brushed his hair behind his ear and moved his gaze to the side as he seemed to tense in the shoulders, a bit of color washing over his ears. “No, why would I need to convince myself of something like that? I just said it, obviously I believe it.”

Legend sighed and stretched his legs out in front of him, rolling his feet to pop his ankles, “Yeah well Sky says Hyrule’s cooking is great, and we all know he’s full of shit.” He put his arms behind him to lean against and looked back to the other, “Why did you come up here?”

The shorter hero was quiet for a moment and the other didn’t rush him. “How…” Four started then frowned, “how did you know?”

“Know what?”

“That you were…”

“Gay?” Legend finished for him with a quirk of the brow. Four nodded and glanced up at him. The taller boy made a face, “Hell, I don’t know. It’s not like pulling the Master Sword outta wherever it lodged itself, with the magical flashing lights and angelic singing and suddenly you’re filled with this gay, righteous fury, shooting rainbow beams from the damn thing. It’s not like a switch is flipped and you’re like ‘oh cool, dudes.’ It’s just something that happened.” He frowned and started to pick at the scab on his knee again. “I mean, there used to be this girl I liked, but shit happened. Turns out she wasn’t real.” He winced when he managed to get it off then brushed his fingers together to drop it in the grass. “Wasn’t really interested in relationships and stuff after that. It was years until I met Ravio and I hated him at first.”

Four looked surprised, “Really?”

“Oh yeah. That asshole charged me an arm, leg, and kidney for stuff I needed to save  _ his _ damn kingdom! Then he took over  _ my  _ house and turned it into a shop while I was gone and gave me some bracelet that smelled like dog ass as a  _ show of good faith. _ Him and his fucking rabbit hood. I didn’t even know what he looked like for like a year, not until I saved that kingdom.”

“So wait, you didn’t even know what he looked like?”

Legend held up a hand. “I’m gonna stop you right there. I haven’t had enough sleep or booze to have that conversation and that ain’t why you’re here.” Four blinked a few times, seeming to come back to himself, then nodded. Legend waved the hand he held up, “Truth is there isn’t a sign or symptoms to tell you what’s going on. It’s just a thing that can happen.” He shrugged, “Hell, why put a label on it at all? I’m so sick of the world and its need to label everything. Just - I don’t know - do you. You’ll be fine.”

With that, Legend hopped off the rock and stretched himself up to pop his back, then sighed. “Welp, good talk. I’m going to bed.”

Four’s eyes widened, “Hey! It’s not time to switch yet!”

The other turned around and tossed him a grin as he pointed at him with both hands, “Consider this payment for my amazing advice.” He told him as he started walking backwards.

“It wasn’t even good advice!”

“Sure it was! Hey, why don’t you sit there and contemplate my words, huh? Cool.” Legend turned back around and started heading for camp, leaving Four grumbling on his rock.

No one after that came to him with questions. They either didn’t know or didn’t care to say anything, which was fine with him. His original plan of not being forward about it to avoid confrontation could remain intact, confident the two people who did know wouldn’t go telling everyone without his consent. After about a month or so with nothing coming up about it, Legend was pretty sure he could get through this entire adventure without any of them figuring it out. 

At least that was the plan. Goddess forbid anything actually goes according to a plan for one of her heroes.

They had stopped in a small village that was used to tending to travelers. They needed to resupply, but figured a day or two of rest would be alright. Legend couldn’t remember the last time he slept in an actual bed and the inn had a tavern below it, so he was definitely not complaining.

Once the sun started to go down and they finished the tasks they had set out to complete, they settled in the tavern below for a hearty meal and a good drink. Legend took a seat at the bar with Time while the others gathered around a few set of tables. There was laughter and music in the air, and for just a moment, they forgot why they all left home to begin with.

With good feelings rushing through their veins, jokes were fired off without thought. From the front door came a man who paused at a table near it to talk to someone. He shifted his weight and used his hands excitedly as he spoke. Legend didn’t even know he was there until he heard snickering coming from the table behind him. “He has to be gay.” Someone says, startling the hero into looking back at them, but their eyes were trained on the man by the door. “Look how he’s standing.” Warrior continues and mimics the hand movements mockingly, earning snickers from his friends. “Probably won’t know a woman if she slapped him in the face.”

Legend frowned and glared into his mug as he listened, then glanced over to the man by the door. Sure he was a little expressive, but that didn’t mean anything. The others have been drinking, he shouldn’t let them bother him. He knew he had a short temper, but he also knew that if he ignored it long enough for them to lose interest, he wouldn’t make a scene, but they kept going with different jokes, mocks, and comments. 

Beside him, Time seemed to notice his growing tension and death grip on his mug. He glanced back at the group, finally taking notice of the conversation. “Alright, that’s enough.” He said as he turned a little in his seat to look at them.

“We’re just messing around.” Hyrule told him with a smile, lifting his own cup.

“Uhh…” Four reached into his pocket and pulled out a deck of cards, waving it at them in an attempt to change the subject, “How about we play a few hands? Loser buys a round of drink.”

“Come on,” Warrior waved a hand and continued, “It’s just a joke.”

“Well it’s not  _ funny.” _ Legend growled, glaring over his shoulder at them, feeling Time put a hand on the other. 

“Whoa chill!” Warrior told him, light still dancing in his eyes as he grinned a little wider. He brought his cup to his lips and glanced to Twilight who sat beside him, “Looks like  _ someone _ is missing his girl.”

Legend stood up so fast, his stool screeched across the floorboards and toppled backwards, hitting the ground with a thundering sound. He whipped around to glare fire at them, “You think this is funny?! You think this is a joke?! How about this?” He turns to grab his mug from the bar counter then threw its contents onto Warrior, whose jaw dropped. “Is that funny? Hahaha! So fucking funny! Look at me, big guy with jokes!” He tossed his mug aside then stormed out of the inn.

It was colder at night in this regine, enough for his breath to come out in a fog as he cursed under his breath, crossing his arms tight against his chest. There was a very small part of him that knew he should have just kept his mouth shut to keep the peace and avoid the tension he had been fearing, but it was drowned out by the roaring rush of blood in his ears. He couldn’t  _ believe _ what the others had said. He didn’t care if they had been drinking or not. Even if they hadn’t meant it seriously, no one but Time and Four had stood up and said something about it. They just kept laughing, tossing jokes, making voices and faces, picking on some guy they didn’t even know. He was running around with a bunch of  _ bigots _ .

“Legend,” a hand touched his shoulder, causing the hero to whip away and slap it away. Standing behind him was Time, who looked calm, but worried.

“What?! What do you want? Leave me the fuck alone!” Legend barked as he glared at him.

Time frowned. “They’re just being foolish. They don’t understand. Some of them come from a time where having a preference that ventures away from the general norm isn’t even considered.”

“That’s bullshit!” The other pointed his finger at him as he snarled, “That’s a bullshit excuse and you know it! We figured it out, didn’t we? I was one of the earliest reincarnations, born far before all these jackasses! Their time period has  _ nothing _ to do with it!” He balled his fingers together at his sides tightly, his short nails biting into his palms. “Bigot! All of them! How the goddess chose such worthless people to be her champions is beyond me! If they all died tomorrow, I wouldn’t shed a tear!”

“Legend, you don’t mean that.” Time’s voice was soft and calm, trying to ease him back down. “You’re just angry.”

“You’re damn right I’m angry!” Legend lifted his fiery blue eyes to his, his shoulders shaking from the cold and his rage, “I’m livid! I’m  _ beyond _ pissed! I should have bashed their stupid faces in when I had the chance!”

Just then, the others had wandered out of the tavern to stand in the streets with a mixture of worry and shock on their faces. As soon as Legend saw them, he let out a furious sound and made to dash towards them to make good on his threat, but Time grabbed him before he could, lifting him off his feet from around his waist. The other struggled, but his anger was working against him, causing him to forget how to break out of a simple hold. “What’re you looking at?! Huh?!” He shouted as he was dragged away, “Get your asses over here and say all that shit to my face! You fucking cowards!” He stretched to glare at them as Time carried him around a building, “Heroes of Courage my ass! You don’t deserve to be called heroes!”

Time eventually let him go and Legend took off in a random direction. The eldest sighed and ran a hand down his face. He didn’t like him going off by himself, but knew that was probably for the best. He would come back when he was ready.

Legend, on the other hand, had no intentions of going back. He worked himself up into such a fit, that he returned to his room late at night to gather up his things and start for home. It would take him a while to figure out the way, with all the portal jumping and time shifts, but it was nothing he hadn’t done before. He was confident he would find his way. 

However, not far out of town the next morning, as he scowled at his map, he paused as a caravan went by. They smiled and waved at him, but Legend wasn’t feeling very social, so he gave a halfass wave back as he looked back down at his map. He murmured to himself as he traced a finger over one road, then the next, but screams snapped his head back up. A group of  Bokoblins were hiding out behind some rocks and were now attacking the caravan. Legend quickly stuffed his map back into his bag and rushed to help fight them off.

It took very little time to dispose of the threat, and much to Legend’s relief, their blood was red, not the sickening black they had encountered before. Legend wiped the blood off his blade in the grass before returning it to his sheath. When he turned to ask if everyone was ok, he was tackled by a little girl and her brother, who were singing thanks and praise, asking a million questions about how he learned to fight. Their mother came over to extract them with a smile and shoo’d them over to their father. She held out a hand to help the hero back to his feet. “Thank you for saving us.” She told him, “You must allow us to do something for you.”

Legend waved her off and shrugged, “Don’t worry about it. This isn’t my first run in with monsters.”

She chuckled, “I can tell. You look very capable and you took them down without a second thought. Are you a soldier?”

“Something like that.”

“Honey, stop pestering him.” Her husband called from behind her, where he and the kids where repacking the cart and checking over the horses. “A man’s business is his own.”

The woman waved him off and turned her attention back to Legend. “You know, I heard rumors that something is happening to the monsters.” She said, frowning suddenly, “They say that they’re ten times more vicious than normal and spit black tar. Even their blood is black.” She gave a shudder and glanced back to her family. “We’re actually on our way to stay with my sister and her family. Figured it would be better to stay in numbers than on our own with times so uncertain.”

Legend frowned and glanced behind her at her family, at her giggling kids and smiling husband. He felt a familiar weight in his chest that was a mixture of guilt, dread, and honor, one that plagued his existence during all his past quests when he started thinking about quitting.  _ Ugh _ the goddess was a cruel mistress.

The family bid their goodbyes with one last round of thanks and continued their way down the road. Legend stood there for a moment then groaned loudly as he pushed his hands up through his hair and tipped his head back. “Ugh fine!” He shouted then turned on his heels to head back to town. “But I’m not gonna like it.”

A statement he made very close to the others when he saw them. They were just outside the inn, about to continue forward to wherever Time’s enchanted map had told them to go. Upon seeing him, a few called out to him, but he held up a hand to stop them. “I don’t want any one of you to talk to me unless it relates to the mission. Got it? Good.” Then walked around them to continue down the road.

The other must have thought he was joking when he said he wasn’t going to speak to them, because a few tried to ease the tension by asking him questions or telling a joke he would normally enjoy, but he wasn’t messing around. He completely ignored them. If he was feeling particularly annoyed, he would meet their gaze with a cold one of his own and hold it until they looked away. Time wasn’t the only one who knew how to intimate with just a look.

Four had come up to ask him how he was doing, putting a hand on his arm, looking genuinely concerned. Legend couldn’t be mad at him. He hadn’t done anything wrong and even tried to change the topic. “I was gonna go home.” He told him as he gathered firewood one night, making a face, “Figured I didn’t need this shit. Figured it would be better than knocking someone’s teeth in.”

“That’s oddly responsible of you.” Four joked with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

“I know, and it only got worse when the Goddess guilt tripped me into coming back.” Legend turned to him, “Don’t you dare tell them what they did. I want them to stew in this. If they can’t figure it out, that’s on them.”

The shorter hero shook his head, “I won’t.”

“Good.” 

It took a week since he blew up at them for one of the other heroes to apologize. Legend was actually a little surprised it wasn’t Sky, given how soft hearted he was.

The sun was setting. They had just set up camp for the evening. Legend sat by the river running nearby to write a letter home, confident he wouldn’t have someone trying to look over his shoulder now, after his declaration. However, he heard footsteps behind him, purposely loud against the dry grass and rock. Frowning, he turned the notepad upside down and glanced over his shoulder to see Wild holding a large cooking pot he used to make soups and stews. He looked a little nervous, hesitating behind him as though to give him his space. Once he took notice of him, he moved past him to the river’s edge to fill the pot with water. Legend propped an elbow on his knee to hold up his chin as he waited for him to finish so he could go back to writing.

It was obvious the other wanted to say something. He was taking longer than needed to fill the pot and working his lower lip between his teeth. Finally he couldn’t linger any longer and hefted the pot up, resting it against his hip bone. He turned and started back to camp, but paused. Eventually he took a deep breath and turned around to look at him. Legend scowled at him, trying to make him go away, but Wild seemed fast in his decision now.

“I… I’m sorry.” He said in a quiet voice. Out of all of them, he was the one who spoke the least, usually resorting to sign language, an option not available to him because of the pot. However, he could have set it down. Whatever he was going to say, he must have deemed it important enough to use his voice. “I’ve been thinking about what happened.” He frowned and glanced away, “At the time it seemed harmless, but I guess all bullying does when you don’t see the effect it has one someone. Even if we didn’t have malicious intents, it still stands that we were making fun of someone before we even knew them.”

Wild paused, rolling some thoughts around in his head, then shook it. “I feel ashamed for what happened, that I let myself get so caught up in the energy and laughter that I couldn’t see that what we were saying was mean and hurtful. I understand if you can’t forgive me. I just needed to say this.” He stared at the ground for a moment, then nodded once and walked away.

Legend watched him go, saying nothing in reply. He turned back to the river, thumbing his notepad a little as he thought, then turned it back over to continue writing his letter.

It took a few days of ruminating before Legend approached Wild. The cook had sat down to peel some potatoes he planned to use for dinner. Legend walked over to him and nudged the bag with the toe of his boot. “You need help peeling those?”

Wild looked up at him in surprise, startled to hear him say something to him when it clearly had nothing to do with their business out here, but a bright smile quickly took over. He nodded and turned the bag towards the other when he sat down on the rock beside him. They peeled and chopped vegetables in relative silence, but that was ok. They were content with this. Wild wouldn’t stop smiling the entire time, even if it was small.

Forgiveness towards the other hero hadn’t come quickly, but still arrived when Legend decided that he was genuine in his apology. It hadn’t been one of those half-ass “I don’t know what I did wrong but sorry” sort of apologies either. He could tell Wild understood what had happened and felt bad about it. A few of the others came in their own time too, in different ways. Sky had been the next one to say something; an apology overflowing with genuine feeling. Hyrule had been a quieter apology that came when they had been assigned to scouting an area for camp. Warrior also apologized, but in a very bro-type way. Legend thought he could have done a little better and ditched the back slap, but it had been two weeks and he was ready to move past this whole thing at this point.

It took a little while, but they eventually fell back into the rhyme of things. Everyone had relaxed again and banter flew easier. Legend admitted to himself that this was better. He hadn’t wanted the tension in the first place, but knew he had to stand up to them for what they did. Maybe that came from being a hero, maybe it came from being done with the world’s shit. Either way, he was glad it was over.

Until a month later when Warrior opened his mouth again.

They were passing through a village, only staying for one night to rest and resupply before heading back out again. There had been a man dressed in something far flashier than the village norm, probably from a settlement closer to the city. He was waving his hands and posing to show it off to another guy leaning against a fence. Legend would admit that he thought this one was probably actually gay. He had noticed city folk tended to be a little more open about their preferences, at least in his world.

“I love his outfit.” Warrior had said to them as he eyed the bright reds and golds, then tossed them a smirk. “But he totally has to be gay. I mean look at him. The guy definitely has an eye for fashion but there’s no way he could fight his way out of a pile of dry hay.”

Legend, who had been digging through a bag of goods Wild was holding, lifted his head to look at him. Both Wild and Four tensed as their eyes darted to him. He could also feel Time’s cautious gaze on the side of his face. The hero with the pink hair pushed his lips out as he narrowed his eyes at the knight, then walked over to him. With a grin, he slapped him on the back, “Hey, before we head out, you wanna spar?” Warrior grinned at the idea and quickly agreed.

As they walked away, Four put his hands on his head, “Oh geez! This is bad! He’s gonna beat the shit out of him!”

Wild grinned,  _ Awesome! _ He gestured with one hand then hurried after them along with the others.

“Ok!” Hyrule announced once they reached an open field where passersby wouldn’t get hurt. “No items or magic! Just good old fashioned sword and shield. First one to best the other wins! I’ll be overseeing the match. I want a good clean fight, got it?”

“Got it!” Warrior called.

“Yup.” Legend replied.

“Alright! Ready… start!”

Legend rushed forward first. There was no dancing around each other waiting for an opening. He took the offence right away, swinging wide and hard. Warrior lifted his shield and the resulting force produced a clank loud enough to be heard at least a mile out. Warrior made a face from the sound, disoriented for a moment. Legend took his chance to drop down and kick his feet out from underneath him. The other went down with a yelp, but rolled out of the way as Legend’s sword came down. The blade hesitated for only a moment before embedding into the ground. Legend made a face when it got stuck. Warrior scrambled to his feet to take this chance, but Legend used the leverage his sword gave him to swing himself around and kick him back hard with both feet. The older hero fell back, but quickly ducked into a roll to come back up to a kneeling position. Legend yanked his sword from the ground with one final firm tug and spun it around the back of his hand. There was a look to his cool blue eyes that hinted that he wasn’t holding back. He wasn’t going to actually draw blood, but it was clear he was out to make a point.

Legend rushed forward again, but Warrior was ready for him this time. They met with a clash of swords, sparks dancing through the cool evening air. Both being veterans from world ending crises, they knew their way around a fight, moving with complete confidence in every strike or block they made. However, while they did share a similar story, this fight demonstrated their differences. 

Warrior had trained in the city guard with thousands of other men. He had strength, discipline, and the knowledge of proper sword technique. He knew were his openings were and how to defend them. His stance was firm and sure, his paries were on point, and he knew just what to look for when moving in for a strike. He was the perfect image of a knight captain.

Legend, however, had a completely different background, therefore a completely different way of fighting. He was fast, calculating, and sure. After he lost his uncle, he had to grow up fast and learn to take care of himself. Everything he learned when it came to a fight was from being on the streets, from a primal need to survive. When Legend fought, there was no proper technique, there was no stiffness from drills. He fought down and dirty like a rogue. Not only was his sword his weapon, but so was the environment around him. A few times he struck the other hero in ways that forced him move back, causing him to trip over rocks hidden in the grass. He also had experience fighting city guards from his own adventures and had a good idea how his opponent would move and react.

Both were great fighters with the reputation to prove it, but Legend had a statement to make, a point to prove, which in the end gave him the fericity he needed to knock Warrior onto his back with one hard kick.

The knight captain hit the ground with a grunt, winded from the fight and the blow, but froze when he came face to face with the tip of a sword, staring at it with wide eyes. “That’s it!” Hyrule called from the side of the field. “Legend wins!” There were cheers and claps from their fellow heroes. Time seemed pleased and satisfied, Wild was clapping with an eagerness that mimicked his nickname, and Four had his hands to his head as he came down from a very intense emotional rollercoaster, terrified Legend was actually going to kill him.

Warrior huffed and dropped his head back on the ground to grin up at him. “Good match.” He said breathlessly. When Legend put his sword away, he held up a hand to shake and for assistance standing up, but instead, the shorter boy glared at him. He put one foot by his shoulder, the other by his hip, and leaned down to get in his face. Warrior’s eyes widened in surprise, leaning back as far as the ground would let him. 

Legend stared at him for a hard moment, then spoke coldly, “I guess a gay man can win a fight with a pile of  _ shit.” _

A surprised and startled gasp went through the group watching, followed by murmurs. Wild, still high on the energy of the fight, shouted, “Yes! You tell him, Legend!” Startling to two men he was standing beside.

Warrior stared up at him with a new look of shock, mouth moving like he wanted to say something, but nothing came out. Legend stood up straight, spit on the ground beside him, then walked off the field.

The two didn’t speak once sense the fight. Warrior seemed like he wanted to say something, but was never sure what and Legend never gave him the chance. He decided he didn’t have the time nor the patience for people like that. He also decided that since everyone had heard his words on the field that day that he didn’t need to hide his wedding band in his shirt anymore and returned it to its rightful place on his finger.

However, there was one thing he didn’t count on when he let that particular cat out of the bag.  _ Everyone _ seemed to have questions. Wind fired them off the fastest, not even waiting for answers before shooting off the next one, eyes big with curiosity. It’s almost enough to make him regret it. Eventually he snapped at them, “Goddess, knock it off! What is wrong with you people? You act like I’m a completely different person now!” He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at them, “I’m the same fucking person I was a couple of days ago. Get off my back.” Legend thought it was stupid that they were acting this way, like his preferences suddenly changed who he was. He couldn’t understand it. Did they all live such sheltered lives?

Thankfully, the attention seemed to ease off of him when the mailman managed to find them yet again to deliver letters from home. They were all excited to hear how loved ones were doing and how their worlds were faring in their absence. Around the campfire that night, they shared anything humorous or exciting, a feeling of warmth spreading through the group as it usually did when the mail came.

“Legend,” Hyrule started as he looked up from his own letter, “did you get one?”

The hero being questioned waved a purple envelope at him, yet to be opened. “Yup.”

“Who’s it from?”

“Same guy as always.”

Wind frowned over at it, “You don’t sound very excited. Is it from a tax collector or something?”

Legend’s face twisted in disgust at the very mention, “Ugh goddess! I don’t even want to think about that. I have had my fill of tax collectors, thank you.”

“Evading the crown, Legend?” Twilight asked with a smirk.

“Tch, yeah right. Like I’d ever be so lucky.” Legend waved the hand not holding the envelope and sighed, “Ravio, the guy I run the shop with,  _ “forgot” _ to pay taxes the entire year he was hiding in Hyrule as a merchant. Goddess, it was such a fucking mess, slippery bastard.”

Time scoffed,  _ “The guy you run the shop with.”  _ He mocked, tossing him a knowing smirk as he raised an eyebrow.

“Shut up.” Legend shot back.

“Soooo… it’s  _ not _ a bad letter?” Wind continued, eyeing it curiously.

“Don’t know. Depends. Haven’t read it yet.”

“Well why don’t you read it and find out?”

“Ya know, it’s really none of your damn business what it’s about.”

The youngest huffed at him, pushing out his cheeks. “Fine! Mine is from my sister.” He turned back to his own letter, smiling again. “She says everything is good and the pigs are happy. She even drew a picture of one of the pigs.” He turned the page around to show them, earning a few coos.

Wild snapped his fingers to get their attention to sign,  _ Mine is from a close friend. Zora prince. _

Legend made a face, “You have a friend that’s a Zora? They’re not so nice where I come from.”

Wild grinned at him,  _ He’s super nice, very supportive, very brave. He also says things are going well. He and the others are working on rebuilding trade routes for the kingdom, and so far talks are going well. He also says it’s Mighty Carp season and I’m insanely jealous. Good eating. _

Wind whined, “Oh man that sounds so good! My grandma makes the best fried fish.”

_ We will go fishing tomorrow.  _ Wild told him,  _ Make our own. _ To this, the youngest cheered.

Time chuckled a little at them then turned his attention to his own letter. “I received one from my wife.”

“Shocker.” Four teased with the raise of a brow.

“I know. She says one of the cows that’s been pregnant gave birth to a healthy baby girl, says she’s real cute. Named her Annabelle.”

“That’s fantastic.” Twilight replied with a warm smile.

“Mhmm. Should be a good milk cow when she’s all grown up, just like her mama.” Time paused as he thumbed the paper a little, his smile turning softer, though perhaps a bit sad. “Tomorrow is our anniversary. Wish I could be there for it.”

The group was quiet for a moment. “I’m sorry.” Legend said quietly.

The eldest shrugged, “It’s not the first anniversary I’ve missed and I’m sure it won’t be the last. I bought her a new cast iron skillet a few weeks ago and sent it back.”

Four grinned, “That’s an interesting wedding anniversary gift.”

Time chuckled, “She’s a practically lady. Doesn’t really have a need for jewelry or fancy things. Besides, it’ll work out in my favor because by the time I get back, she’ll have broken in it. There’s nothing better than a meal cooked in a well loved cast iron skillet.”

“Amen.” Wild added softly with a grin. A few of the others chuckled at this.

“Legend,” Sky started to get the other’s attention. He smiled, “Do you have someone special at home?”

Legend frowned at him, “We’ve had this conversation before.”

The other boy floundered for a minute and held up his hands, “No, I’m sorry. I just… I can’t help but be curious. I mean, I feel like people generally expect the hero to save the princess and fall in love and live happily ever after. Not that that’s a bad thing.” He said the last part with a fonder look to his eyes. “But you don’t seem like the traditional sort.”

Legend raised a brow at him and gave him a dry look, “Plus Zelda’s a girl so there’s no way I could be dating her, right?” Sky’s eyes widened and his face turned red. He waved his hands and tried to cover for himself, but the other took pity on him and waved him off. “I mean, you ain’t wrong. Besides, she’s more like a sister to me than anything else.” He paused as he rolled his thoughts around his head. He supposed there was no point in hiding it anymore. He had started to wear his wedding band again and they all knew his preferences. Besides, he wasn’t ashamed of how things turned out back home. He was very happy, in fact, something he didn’t think he’d ever get to experience. Sighing, he dropped his chin into his hand as he propped his elbow on his knee. He wiggled his left set of fingers at them, “I have a husband.”

A sound of surprise went through the group. Even Wild, who had known longer than most of the others, looked surprised. Hyrule grinned, “Well shit, if Legend can get hitched there’s hope for all of us.”

“Man fuck you!”

“Wait, it’s that merchant, right? The one you run the shop with.” Twilight pieced together, pointing at him. 

Legend nodded and sighed, “Yup, two whole years.”

“They’re really cute.” Four told them, earning a displeased sound from Legend, which he ignored, “Totally bicker like a married couple.”

“No, come on! Don’t start spreading lies and shit.” 

Four grinned at him, “It’s not lying! I thought he was gonna kick your ass when you said his food tasted like ash.”

Time sucked in a breath between his teeth and shook his head, “Ooo, bad move. Even if it does taste like ash, you never say it.”

“Oh my goddess, it was a joke!” Legend threw up his hands, feeling his face warm against his will. “He knew that!”

“What’s he like?” Wind asked, “We didn’t get a chance to meet him.”

Four smiled, “He’s really nice, but I definitely got the impression that he could talk you out of your last rupees if you’re not paying attention.” He glanced to Legend, “No offence.”

“No fucking hell, you’re so right!” Legend pushed a hand up into his bands and pulled. “He’s a monster, I’m telling ya! He looks really sweet and he wears this stupid rabbit hood with these really long ears and big eyes and every word out of his mouth is honey but it’s only to get your wallet. That asshole made me buy items off him to save  _ his _ damn kingdom and set up his stupid shop in  _ my _ house! And if I was too hurt to keep going, his fucking bird would come in and take them back and I’d have to buy them again! Goddess I dropped so much damn money into that man’s pocket, it was ridiculous.”

Time looked very amused by his rant, tossing him a smile, “But you married him.”

Legend made a face, twisting his mouth to the side, then sighed in defeat. “But I married him…”

“You love him, I can tell.”

“No, no we’re not doing this.” The younger boy pinched his brow with his fingers as he felt his face warm again. “I am not having this feelsy conversation with you people.”

“Well then how did you meet?” Sky asked instead.

“I told you. I saved his kingdom.”

Four grinned over at the boy with the pink hair, “That is such a bullshit cop out answer. We want details!” He smirked, “Or are you shy?”

Legend glared at him, “I’m not shy!”

Wind bounced in his seat with a big smile on his face, “Yeah, come on! Time shared his story!”

“Yeah, cause he’s sentimental and old.” 

Time shrugged when a few sets of eyes turned to him, smiling, “I mean, he’s not wrong.”

“No!” Hyrule slammed his hand against his knee, eyes sparkling with something playful. “We want answers! I  _ have _ to know how this miracle about!”

“Ugh goddess fine!” Legend threw his hands into the air, “If’ll shut you up!”

He went on to tell them about how the two of them met, how Ravio found him in that church all those years ago, though he did leave out the part about running into the wall and knocking his ass unconscious. They didn’t need to know that bit. He told them how he actually came looking for him to help him save his kingdom and didn’t lift a damn finger to help him until the very end when he came rushing in to talk some sense into Hilda, the princess of Lorule. “Fell flat on his face.” Legend said with a half grin, making a falling motion with his hand. “Tripped up on his robe and came crashing down, right at the feet of the princess. I have never met a clumsier person. It’s hard to believe he’s technically a hero too.”

Four grinned, very amused by his tale, “Thank the goddess he didn’t have to fight off that Yuga guy.”

“Right? Shit, we’d be screwed. Unless it came to taking his last rupee, then he’d be a sure win.” Legend smiled a little softer as he thought back on his adventures in Lorule. The kingdom was a shit hole and he hated every minute of being there, but he supposed if he was being honest, he’d have to give it a bit of credit, for it gave him a lot.

Time smirked over at him, “Who’s the sentimental old man now?”

Legend’s head whipped around to look at him with big eyes, feeling his face warm at being caught. He made a face and stood up, “Man fuck you!” He snapped then turned to walk away from the fire, earning him chuckles in return. 

After that night, things seemed to completely ease back into their normal way of operating. Well, almost completely. Legend still refused to talk to Warrior if it didn’t have to do with plans of attack or strategizing. Did he like him? No, but he wasn’t going to let a bunch of innocent people get hurt just because he had a grudge against one of his teammates.

It was about a week before Warrior seemed to get his cards together. Legend had separated from the group to gather mushrooms for Wild to use in their supper for the evening when he heard someone come up behind him. Glancing back, he saw it was the knight, looking conflicted and hesitant, but firm. Legend stood up straight to turn and glare at him, trying to intimidate him into leaving. Warrior held up his hands in surrender, but didn’t move. “I came to apologize.” He told him.

“I don’t wanna hear it.” Legend shot back. “You’ve tried that once before and clearly it was just a bunch of empty words if you did it again.”

Warrior winced, looking pretty ashamed of that fact. “I uh… yeah, yeah I did, didn’t I?” He pressed his lips together and glanced to the side, “I guess… a lot of times people- er...  _ I  _ say things without thinking about it. It seems so harmless at the time. Like, they couldn’t hear me say those things so what was the harm?”

“That’s such bullshit.” The shorter hero fired back, “That’s what little kids say in defense when they’re bullying someone. You’re a grown ass adult. You should know better.”

“You’re right, I should have.” The knight balled his hands at his sides, “I know you have no reason to believe me, but I really do feel bad about what happened.”

Legend put the hand not occupied with the basket of mushrooms on his hip, unimpressed, “Would you feel bad about what you said if I wasn’t pissed off at you? Would you feel bad for making fun of that man if I wasn’t gay too?”

“Honestly?” Warrior bit his lip, “If you hadn’t said something about it, probably not. I probably would have moved on from those moments without giving them a second thought, then do it again. I admit that.” He shook his head, “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being into other guys. I don’t think it’s gross or unholy or what have you. I guess it was just one of those things I didn’t give much thought to because I never had came in contact with someone with those sort of preferences. We were all raised to believe we’d find a nice girl and settle down at some point, but that’s not an excuse. I know that there are people out there who like the opposite gender and I should have been more sensitive to that fact.” 

He paused and Legend didn’t say anything in response, but his glare hadn’t lessened. Warrior took a deep breath and stood up straight as he looked the other in the eye. “I know you have no reason to believe my words are true when I say this, but I am genuinely sorry for what I said and that I upset you.” He smiled a little, “And I’m glad that you have someone special like you do. I’ve never seen you open up like you did the night you were talking about Ravio. You had this real light about you.” He glanced away, “I’m glad. We don’t get many good things in this line of work.”

Legend frowned and glanced down at the basket of mushrooms he had collected before he had been interrupted, again staying quiet.

“Well,” he glanced back up at the other when he spoke, “I’ll leave you to it then.” Warrior nodded once then turned and headed back towards camp.

Legend watched him go then turned back to his task.

It took a while of rolling the interaction around in his head for Legend to come to terms with it and make a decision. There was a lesser part of him that wanted nothing to do with Warrior’s apology. He tried this once before, he apologized for the first incident then ran off and did it again. That lesser part was sure this would be the same and just wanted to be angry, but he knew better. He knew his anger wasn’t going to get him anything. It was just going to make him tired in the long run. If he was genuine and Legend continued to hold a grudge, then he was in the wrong, not Warrior. He had been on enough adventures and seen enough shit to know that unjustified grudges got him nothing.

It was a while later that their magical map insisted they had to climb to the top of a ridge to a temple just beyond it. Try as they might, they couldn’t find a way around or a set of stairs, so climbing was their only option. Wild was thrilled and donned his climbing gear to dart up the rock like he was born for this. He even anchored a line at the top so he could let go of the rock and hang upside down, watching his less enthusiastic counterparts struggle over the massive boulders. Twilight looked like he was going to have a heart attack, and not from the physical assertion.

Legend did alright, but got a couple of scraped knees from his lack of leg protection. Once he pulled himself on top of a particularly large rock, he paused to catch his breath and looked down to watch the last few stragglers pull themselves up. Warrior was pulling up the rear, not because he wasn’t strong, but climbing with thirty pounds of armor was different than walking around in it. He was grumbling under his breath, swearing when his foot slipped a few times. Legend watched him struggle for his own amusement for a moment, then laid out on his stomach to hold out a hand to him. Warrior was surprised at its appearance and stared up at him. “Well?” Legend asked, raising a brow, “Got better things to do here.”

The knight huffed and grinned, taking his hand, “You’re not gonna push me off, are you?”

“Not today.”

“Oh not today, but maybe tomorrow.”

“Yeah, you get it.”

Legend helped the other over the top of the rock, making a bit of a face. Warrior groaned as he flopped down on his butt, trying to catch his breath. He tossed him a smile, “Thanks.”

“Uh huh.” The shorter hero turned back to the rock face, tossing him a glance, then continued up. He wasn’t good at the feelings “I forgive you” conversations, but was confident Warrior would get the message through his actions. He didn’t want tension in the team anymore. He was sick of it. Besides, he was pretty certain Warrior has learned his lesson, for real this time.


End file.
